I'm a big consumer of leadership studies, and one thing I've noticed about them over the years is that if you had to isolate one personal quality that tends to come up again and again at or near the top of them, it's integrity. Integrity is sort of a management/leadership catch-all; it implies honesty, truthfulness, being trustworthy, being guided by a moral compass, and so on. It's the kind of quality we normally like to have in our leaders, whether in business, politics, sports, etc. I know I'm boringly Old School, but the legendary old basketball coach John Wooden comes to mind. When people with integrity say something, they mean it. They don't lie, at least much or often. Their word is solid. They can be trusted. They mean what they say.

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As the Mueller investigation winds down - any week now could be its last, say multiple reports - there are several lingering things related to it that continue to disturb me. Here are three of them:

I've never understood why a tough president who's made it a clear priority to protect America seems to have so little interest in protecting the electoral process against foreign attack. This has never made one ounce of sense.

I've never understood why, if this whole Russia investigation is simply a "witch hunt" and "a hoax," as our president and his followers are fond of saying... why are so many people associated with the president not being truthful about it? If there's nothing to hide, why are stories constantly changing? (More about this below.)

This third point is the one that really makes me crazy. It appears this country is so dysfunctionally divided that so many people - an entire major political party, practically - seem to have no interest in facts. They'd rather believe opinions over facts. They'd rather believe what they want to believe or what's in their self-interest to believe. This seems to me a dangerous game; can take you to strange places once you have no interest in facts.

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A little personal housekeeping here: I'm not a Democrat. I'm registered as an Independent. I'm no fan of Hillary and I strongly believe Obamacare was a mess from the beginning. I just add these points to give a little context... and at this wickedly divided time for our country providing them (and they are true of course) seems to keep the hate mail down a bit.

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For everyone who's skeptical that this whole trumped-up investigation is some sort of witch hunt hoax... some alternate reality concocted by the Deep State... why do our president and so many folks around him keep changing their stories?

This is an odd pattern of behavior for innocent people. Let's consider some of the facts here. Not opinions. Facts.

CNN has done an excellent thorough job pulling things together, comparing statements at different times and painting a picture of how the Russia investigation has progressed. Their article is called, straightforwardly enough, How Team Trump keeps changing its story in the Russia investigation. I'd recommend reading the whole piece, but what I'll give you here is a concise summary of a few of its key points. It definitely paints a picture of a group of people who don't seem to be, shall we say, collectively operating with an overabundance of integrity. So here are the facts related to some key Trump-Russia events.

Did any Trump campaign aides have contacts with Russia? The initial answer was "no," with Paul Manafort calling the idea "absurd" and emphatic denials coming many times from the president, Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Sanders and Vice President Pence, among others. CNN notes these denials "have been eviscerated in the two-plus years since the election" - with at least 16 Trump associates having Russian contacts. These took the form of in-person meetings, phone calls, emails, Twitter messages, etc.

Did anyone on the campaign collude with Russia? The president has maintained a loud steady drumbeat, repeated many many times, that there was "no collusion" whatsoever between his campaign and the Russians. CNN notes that the president's lawyer Rudy Giuliani has "moved the goalposts" in recent months. "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or people in the campaign," Giuliani told CNN. "I have not. I said the President of the United States." In short, it strongly appears there was collusion, as the various contacts between Mr. Manafort and Mr. Stone and a variety of Russians and go-betweens strongly suggest - the only uncertainty is: How high up did it go?

What was the purpose of the Trump Tower meeting? The original story from Team Trump was that the meeting's purpose was to discuss the adoption of Russian children. It was later determined the meeting was intended, as CNN has reported, to "get damaging information" on Hillary Clinton.

Did the president draft the misleading Trump Tower meeting statement? Original answer: Nope, the president had no involvement. Later answer, admitted by the president's lawyers: Yep, he dictated the statement.

When did negotiations end for Trump Tower Moscow? Original answer: January 2016, before primaries. Later answer from Mr. Giuliani: negotiations may have continued "up until November 2016."

Will the president agree to be to interviewed by Mr. Mueller? Original answer: He really wants to. Later answer: As CNN concluded, "zero chance," with concerns about perjury. To make this one a little more personal... I think the odds of the president being interviewed by Mr. Mueller are about the same as the odds of my playing point guard for the Boston Celtics. I really want to. Its likelihood? Zero point zero percent.

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What are we to make of all these changed stories? On many different topics and told at many different times. But all with a common objective: To conceal or minimize Team Trump's Russian contacts and exposure. You can call it changing a story. Or prevaricating. Or not being completely truthful. I think I prefer "lying" - feels more truthful.

So call it what it is. What does all this lying indicate - why do people usually lie in such circumstances?

Here I think I'd fall back on the old legal concept of "consciousness of guilt." Meaning, knowing we're guilty of something, we often lie to "cover it up" to help prevent the real story from coming out.

Consciousness of guilt: one good reason for a whole lot of people changing a whole lot of stories.

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Ah, this stuff wears me out. Best not to think too much about it. I tend to obsess about the news these days. All my life I've watched too much sports on TV. I know it can be a problem. Now my wife is pleased when I'm watching sports on TV because it means I'm not watching the news.

So I really hope the end is in sight and Mr. Mueller gets this over with quickly and the wheels of justice in whatever form they may take keep turning smoothly.

I often like to write about "tone at the top" and setting the right example and how important this is in management. What a management team this is. Integrity? This is a unique chapter in our history. With all the many "changed stories," I'd say this team's collective integrity reminds me a little of that of a timber rattler.

Actually I have nothing against timber rattlers. They're memorable majestic creatures in their own way. You just don't want to step on one in tall grass.